My new variety of lily plant originated as a seedling selected from a group of seedlings planted by me at Sandy, Ore., and resulting from my crossing of the clonal cultivar `Charisma` as the seed parent with the clonal cultivar `Sunray` as the pollen parent; this crossing having been done with the object of producing lilies in shades of orange and yellow well suited to forcing for pot plant production out of season, a result heretofore unknown in the lily breeding art.
This selected seedling was asexually reproduced by me at Sandy, Ore., by bulb scale propagation and by natural propagation from bulblets with such satisfactory results that propagation in this manner was continued by me and under my direction through several successive generations, which demonstrated that the novel characteristics of this new plant would remain true from generation to generation and appeared to be firmly fixed.
By observation of this new plant through successive generations, I have found that the variety remains short and is not overly susceptible to bud abortion when forced into flower out of season as a pot plant and in addition, I have found that the clone possesses to a high degree the desirable characteristics of hybrid vigor, great hardiness, and disease resistance, possessing all of the desired characteristics of form, color, and habit.
I have found that the new plant is well suited to forcing out of season when the bulbs are dug at the appropriate time and properly precooled; October-dug bulbs, properly precooled and potted in January, will flower under glass in western Oregon in an average of sixty-five to seventy-five days, with no supplementary lighting and at moderate greenhouse temperature.